Wheat norms eased for Madhya Pradesh, others may get benefits soon
The Union food ministry said it would ease quality standards of wheat pertaining to “loss of lustre” for procurement from the whole of the state.
In a relief to farmers, the Centre has relaxed quality specifications of wheat eligible for procurement from Madhya Pradesh and more states are likely to be given the benefit based on assessments, following crop-damaging torrential rains in key food bowl states.
In a letter sent to the Madhya Pradesh government on Friday, the Union food ministry said it would ease quality standards of wheat pertaining to “loss of lustre” for procurement from the whole of the state. Lustre refers to the natural gloss of wheat grains, a key indicator of its quality. Procurement refers to the Centre’s purchases of cereals at federally fixed floor prices, which are then redistributed to nearly 800 million beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act 2013.
“Similar relaxation could be considered based on assessments and requests from other states. Teams from the Centre are still touring wheat-growing states to assess grain quality and impact of the rains,” a person aware of the development said, seeking anonymity. On March 29, HT had first reported that the Centre was likely to relax procurement norms.
Recommended for you
